Vi/Vim Basic Reference

By Dag, on January 25th, 2017

A very short reference on using Vi/Vim.

Not my first option but sometimes the only one.
When I started with Linux in '99/'00 I immediately attached myself to Pico, then Nano.
I could never use it for more than basic editing needs though, nor did I want to. So for those who does,
in a *nix environment, I understand. My more advanced editing needs are done in a graphical
environment, admittingly mostly on a Windows workstation.

Vi/Vim Basics

ESC goes to command mode, where I can:
dd - to delete current line.
u - to undo last action.
shift+x - to delete previous character from curser.
x - to delete next character from cursor.
i - to start inserting before cursor.
a - to start inserting after cursor.
:q - to quit without changes (use :q! to force).
:wq - to quit saving changes.
i and a will enter input mode. ESC will go back to command mode.

This is pretty much all the basics I need in emergency
editing where nano is not available, as Vi/Vim is sometimes the only
default alternative on slim GNU/Linux installations without Internet access.
Keeping it simple will make it easier to remember and use at those rare occations.